Harry Potter and the Master of Death
by Fumbls
Summary: With the war over, Harry Potter is given time to ponder the state of his life. Discovering the depth of the Headmasters manipulations, and a will drafted in his name, The “Boy Who Lived” makes the decision to take advantage of his status as The “Master of Death”. After traveling through time and escaping the Dursleys he starts to discover things are very different.
1. The Oddysey

After nearly an hour of waiting the door to the small conference room Harry was sitting in finally opened. Through it came the two goblins; the one who had left him there and another he hadn't met before. He couldn't help but notice the guards give a salute at the sight of the new guest as they had previously stood perfectly still. Harry had considered trying to talk with them to pass the time but had decided not to when their brows had furled when he opened his mouth to speak. It seemed that they were still upset about him breaking in and riding off on their dragon six months prior.

"Mr Potter, this is Director Ragnok. He, for all intents and purposes, is the leader of the goblins here in Britain and of course manages the bank." The first goblin, the smallest in the room with the beadiest eyes, gestured towards his boss with a bit of a bow. He couldn't remember the creepy little thing giving him their name.

"A pleasure to finally meet the young man that," the other goblin started, then paused dramatically for a moment, "Liberated, the bank of its property. I would have thought a wizard would simply stay away after that." His grin was more than a little unnerving to the young wizard, but after his experiences in the war he was only mildly frightened. If they wanted him dead they would have done it. That was besides the fact the entire country would probably want to rip them to shreds if they did.

Harry wasn't immediately sure how to respond, and took a moment to try to analyze the situation he had stumbled into. Ragnok was broad shouldered like the guards and had a far more square face than most of his kind. His clothing was also much nicer than the others and wore a few expensive looking rings on his fingers. He had of course been apprehensive to request a meeting with the bank, but knew if he wanted to live normally he would have to try explaining why he had stolen from them. Knowing he was basically immune from any punishment because of his title of "The Man Who Conquered", yet another silly monicker given to him by the public, and so the goblins wouldn't be able to retaliate for what he had done. That did not however mean he wanted to be on their bad side.

"Yes, I had hoped to be given a chance to explain myself and find some way to make amends with your bank." He made sure to be confident in his response. Flitwick had given him some quick advice on how to deal with the goblins. Most of it has revolved around their respect for confidence and strength. The smile on Ragnok however did not falter.

"Yes, we are aware of the necessity of you acquiring the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. I had not known of Horcruxes before this but can safely say we would not have willingly allowed such a vile artifact to be stored here. This is the only reason we agreed to this meeting. However," the goblins grin somehow deepened further, "We would be glad to learn how you plan to 'make amends." This time Harry did feel a slight chill of fear.

"Ah, well," he hesitated, "I had at least planned to explain my actions and, of course, pay for any damages my actions caused. My plans are to become an Auror and while I'm sure I won't be able to pay you back immediately I hope we can come to some sort of agreement on plans to make payments over time." By the end of his speech he had managed to steady his voice and raise his jaw. They had to know he was serious or else risk them dismissing his proposal for something harsher. It was to his surprise when both Goblins across the table chuckled. After a quick look from Ragnok the smaller goblin walked around the table and placed a folder of parchment on the table in front of Harry. Harry quickly read the tops of each sheef of paper. Two were account statements for the Black and Potter family vaults as well as three wills, one of which he recognized as being from Sirius and of course the other from his parents. It was the Last that first raised and then furrowed his eyebrows.

He had already gotten the gist of what Sirius' will had said; leaving him most everything he owned. His parents was a mild surprise but also it made sense that they would have drafted something in case they died. Whatever it said would matter little at this point outside of sentimentality which couldn't be enjoyed at the moment. It was the last, however, that came as a shock.

"The Last Will and Testament of Harry James Potter." He mumbled under his breath as he read the words. His hands shook as he read farther down the paper and if he had been younger and less in control of his magic it would likely have caught fire.

 _I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, acting within my powers as Magical Guardian to the child Harry James Potter, known as the Boy-Who-Lived, do certify this will to respect the best wishes of my charge._

 _In the event of the untimely demise of Harry James Potter, any and all holdings within his name are to be distributed as such._

 _To the Weasley family; the extent and breadth of the Potter Estate and holdings. They have staunchly supported Harry at great risk and sacrifice to themselves. Any such transaction is to be overseen by Molly Weasley nee Prewitt._

 _To Hermione Jane Granger; the extent and breadth of the Black Estate and holdings. She has proven herself a friend in times when others were not brave enough to do so._

 _In regards to to the continuation of the Potter and Black lines, and as such their authority within the Wizengamot, they are to be transferred to the respective beneficiaries. I feel it would be most appropriate for the two young women that mean the most in his life, Ginevra Weasley and Hermione Granger, to be given the opportunity to continue fighting in young Harry's name._

 _Any personal effects and no less than twenty percent of the Galleons held under the possession of Harry Potter are to be transferred to Ronald Bilius Weasley. If any could appreciate the use of that which my charge cared after the most it would be his best friend and companion._

 _All stated parties have been made aware of and have agreed to the contents of this will. Should I survive my charge I will see fit to personally handle the distribution of his assets to the respective parties. Should I not, I ask that Gringotts endeavor to do so themselves._

 _Signed,_

 _Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin (first class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot_

It took several moments for Harry to compose himself as he re-read the contents of the will. No, _his_ will. His will that, according to this, others in his life had been privy to despite his complete ignorance of its existence. It was dated just around the time he had turned 16 over two years ago. Just about the time that he and Dumbledore has confirmed that Voldemort had created Horcruxes. Likely the same time that Dumbledore knew he had one inside his scar and would need to be killed to see it removed.

If he had not already spent many nights in the past months crying, or more recently wishing to do so when the tears had dried, he would have shed some there. Instead he felt only anger and shame for having truly been nothing more than a pawn this whole time. Ever since first year he had been used; it was surprising he had been a bishop in stead during in the chess match they had played trying to stop Quirrel.

Across from him the two goblins only looked at the boys reaction without comment. The smaller one was grinning, however Ragnok had a mostly impassive look upon his wrinkly features. Harry set the parchment to the side and looked over the two with the what he owned written on them.

"I had no idea my family had been this wealthy. Hadn't suspected anything was left of the black fortune after spending time at Grimmauld place." He finally looked up at the two Goblins. "Take what is fair in repayment for any physical damages I caused to the bank and for a new dragon to be brought in as security. If you take more than necessary expect me to be doing any future business elsewhere. After all, you already admitted my actions were necessary." Now he had a small grin on his face, although it was clear that he was still quite upset over the recent revelations.

"Of course we will be fair, Lord Potter-Black. We more than appreciate your offer of repayment. Much of the damage you caused was, however, quite easily repaired. We could consider your removal of such a dangerous item from our vaults as service to our business. As far as the dragon is concerned; your support within the wizengamot to allow us the ability to even import another would be more than enough. At the moment no amount of gold will convince your government to allow us another. Though, with the support of their newest champion..." Ragnok eventually trailed off, leaving the implications of his request obvious.

"Of course that would be no problem. At least once I figure out how to do so. As I'm sure you are aware I have been kept in the dark about many things in my life." He held up "his" will. "I would like this to be destroyed in every way. When I have time I will come up with my own."

"Of course," said the beady eyed goblin, "I will be back shortly with the proper paperwork." With a nod to Ragnok the smaller goblin left the room.

"Is there anything else Gringotts can help you with today?" Asked the intimidating aged Goblin.

"No, I think you have done more than enough for me today." Harry sighed, feeling more stressed than he had in months.

"Very well, I have other business to attend to then. Should you need any help or advice, specifically in regards to our agreement," Ragnok gave yet another large grin, "We would be more than happy to help."

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In the months following his defeat of Voldemort Harry had refrained from drinking alcohol. Instead he had done his best to surround himself with his friends and other close relations. Specifically trying his best to be close with his godson Teddy and the infants new surrogate mother Andromeda. With the loss of close ones the two shared they had themselves become quite close. At first the older woman had made him nervous. He felt guilt that the Lupins and Edward had died in defiance to a madman that had been after himself. However she had quickly proven to be more than kind and was the one that had helped him the most with coping with what he had experienced.

Other than Andy, as she preferred he call her, he had spent his time at the Weasleys. Much of that was spent alone with Ginny or doing his best to hold conversation with the others. All were grieving the loss of so many friends, or in the case of the red-headed clan, the absence of Fred and the joy he had brought in their lives.

So it was strange that Harry could be found on the night following his visit to Gringotts on a stool in a bar, drink in hand. There were precious few others he could turn to for help dealing with his current dilemma and none of which he wanted to bother on such short notice.

"Merlin, I need to stop." He muttered under his breath after standing to go hit the head. When he had used the washroom and splashed some cold water on his face he felt much better. Resisting the urge to drown himself further he waved a polite nod to the bartender and walked down the street. Deciding he should get some coffee and actually consider what to do next he made his way to a nearby station and waited for the next train to arrive.

Ever since before his sixth year he had found riding the trains at night to be relaxing. Before long he heard the familiar sound of the muggle engine coming to the station and had boarded it. His thoughts muddled he had nearly missed his old favorite stop. Stepping off the train feeling mildly less intoxicated he was quick to make his way over to one of his favorite cafes, hands in pockets and eyes cast downward in thought. He barely looked up as he swung the glass door inward to take stock of the small restaurant. It appeared empty besides a waitress reading a book behind the counter. She stood up and gave him a smile as he sat down.

"Just a coffee, please." He said simply, trying not to sound either drunk or upset.

"No problem." She responded with a still cheerful smile. "Bad day?" Was all she asked as she poured him a cup.

"I suppose." Was what he managed before adding some sugar to his drink and stirring the dark liquid. "Could have been worse."

"Not as bad as getting stood up for a date?" Harry looked up in confusion. A short ways down the other side of the counter the waitress was leaning on her elbows giving him a knowing grin. It took him a few moments as he sat there open mouthed before he managed to look back down and take a drink of coffee trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Ugh, sorry. I didn't recognize you with the new hair." He managed before quickly taking another drink. His face was on fire as he recalled how he knew her. Two year prior, just before his sixth year, she had nearly read his copy of the daily profit he had been reading in this same cafe. She had, quite surprisingly, more or less asked him on a date after she was done working. For whatever reasons he had ended up never meeting her for it. Before the dark skinned girl had worn a large stylish Afro, but now wore it down and pulled into a ponytail. Between the whirlwind of activity and his relationship with Ginny he had almost completely forgotten about her.

"Glad you remembered that at least. Haven't seen you in here since then. Thought maybe I scared you off." There was a slight hint of nervousness in her voice.

"No, not at all! I just," He paused for a moment, not sure how to explain himself. "Ive had a lot going on in my life since then."

"Like what?" She posed, her grin coming back.

"You wouldn't believe the half of it." He laughed as he finished his coffee. "I really should be going though, it's pretty late." Harry considered it in his best interest to make a hasty retreat. One didn't survive a war without a sense of self preservation.

"What, not going to try to make up for it?" She asked, this time with a wide smile.

"That-" Harry took a few moments to realize what she was asking. "Well, you don't happen to get off work soon do you?" Her smile grew at this.

"Not tonight, but I'm free tomorrow. How about you pick me up here at the station tomorrow at eight?"

"I'll be there. Er, here." Harry gave his best lopsided grin as he payed for his drink and left, trying to decide on a place to stay for the rest of the night.

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"Thank you, Kreacher." Harry remarked as he took the proffered cup of tea from the old house elf.

"Kreacher lives to serve." Was all the house elf said before disappearing with a light pop. Harry stared at the spot for a moment; contemplating the sad... creature. After returning to Grimmauld he had quickly realized that the elf was very much nearing the end of his life. He had ordered the old elf to keep himself to simple tasks such as dusting and making the occasional cup of tea. Beyond that he had no idea what to do with him.

Sipping the tea he found it to be quite fantastic. Despite his previous misconceptions about the elf it could make a damn good drink.

Looking back down at the book on his desk he did his best to stay focused on the material. The large tome in front of him was focused on magical law; specifically about inter-species relationships within Britain. Even with advice from the goblins he was having trouble finding information to build an honest case to allow them a new dragon. It appeared the original had been either illegally born down in their caves, which would make sense considering its blindness, or had been transported past the blind eye of bribed officials.

With a sigh he placed a scrap of parchment in the books crack and gently shut it before setting it atop the stack of books on the corner of his table. Draining his tea, he stood and went to sit in a comfortable, if ragged, chair near the fireplace. A flick of his wand saw two more logs float from their cask nearby and gently place themselves in the fire.

Hand under chin he studied his new wand. The Elder Wand. Despite having snapped and discarded the dangerous relic it had mysteriously appeared in his pocket soon after. He had tried several other methods to rid himself of it, not wanting to paint such a target on his person. Ultimately when his attempts failed he decided to keep it rather than pass it to a knee owner. At the very least he considered it a deserved trophy from the war and that he would know it was in altruistic hands.

Almost as if begging for attention his eyes wandered up to the mantle above the fire. There rested the resurrection stone; entombed in a cube of conjured crystal. It too had found him at nearly at the same time as the wand. Upon further experimentation he found that it also could not be permantly destroyed or misplaced, nor could his cloak. The stone would stay in its place only if it was there for safekeeping. While he was happy to carry both the wand and cloak at all times he was carefully apprehensive of the stones powers. It had drove not only its original owner to madness but his descendants as well. The Gaunt line had ended as inbred lunatics that sired a madman. Clearly extended use was ill advised.

Now staring once again at the wand he was hit with strong feelings of anger. It may be a trophy, but so too was it a reminder of both the sycophant that murdered him and the manipulative old codger that had lead him to it. With a snarl of frustration he threw the wand in the fire. It's dry wood quickly caught flame and burned to ash without even the smallest of pops.

He stared at it long after it had been consumed and turned to ash. Thoughts of revenge, plans for the future, and doubts of the past; all consumed him until he eventually nodded off in the chair.

The next morning he awoke to find the Elder Wand gripped tightly in his hand.

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Eight heads stirred in succession after their bodies had been given a quick blast with an awakening spell. Even in the dim light it was easy to make out the distinct shade of red hair that adorned seven, and the unmistakable frizzy mess of the eighth. It took only moments for the people seated before Harry to realize they were bound to chairs; seated around the family dining table next to a low burning fire. Panic gripped them and they all began trying to shout only to further realize they were also silenced.

"Well, I'm very glad I'm not any of you at the moment. You have no idea how many times I thought I'd wake trussed up by some rogue Death Eater or crazy fangirl." All head snapped to the side of the table opposite the fire. In the shadows, glasses shining as if filled with red flame, sat a grinning Harry Potter. One legged cross over the other and hands steepled in front of his chest. Immediately the surviving Weasley's and Hermione began struggling in earnest against their bonds.

"Oh, all of you calm down." Harry said standing. All eyes noticed the wand in his hand, though only two recognized its significance. "I'm not going to kill any of you. Perhaps I should, and I most definitely thought about it, but overall; I just wanted to let you all know how disappointed I am. Or at least make some of you aware of how disappointed you should also be." He paused dramatically, beginning to pace around the table like a cat. The Elder wand tapped against his chin for several moments as he collected his thoughts.

"Molly Weasley," his eyes snapped to the buxom matriarch. "I considered you a mother. Maybe I still do in some ways. However it is obvious you did not care about me as deeply as a mother should. Perhaps not a fair burden to place upon you. Considering I've only met my mothers ghost for a grand total of about a minute I might not be the best judge of that, but still; how dare you agree to a will being made in my name. How _DARE_ you not inform me." Sparks flew from the end of his wand before he could calm himself down. "I do not care wether you thought you had my best interests in mind. The fact that I had never had any time, any room for the thought of a will, yet you did is despicable. Know that I have lost any love I once held for you." With a growl he fell back into his chair.

"Granger," He leaned back in his seat with a deep frown. "You have always been there for me. Always believed in me. More than anyone else I consider you family, my sister in life. Wether Dumbledore," he spat the name, "Told you I would have to die, or simply convinced you a will was in my best interest, I have no idea. It doesn't matter. Again, you all took the time to consider my death without me while it was all I could do to try and keep living." He stared deeply at her for nearly a minute. She was crying, as were several others at the table. He felt awful but still carried forward.

"Ronald, you were my first and best friend. Now, I could give a rats arse about that. I can only imagine how your eyes lit up when you realized you'd be getting a piece of the pudding. It's no wonder that you actually helped in the end instead of lazing about as usual. I appreciate what you did for me but consider this the end of our friendship." The red heads eyes were white and his face even more pale than usual. Harry could see himself befriending him once again as he had ultimately been a true friend but felt what he had said was fair. Next his eyes landed on Ginny.

"You can consider this the end of our relationship as well; whatever of it remained. I'm not sure if I even ever cared for you or was just so desperate for genuine affection I was blinded." She was crying even harder than Granger. This time he definitely felt awful about his words. Yet he knew it would be best to leave her angry at him. It would hopefully make it easier for her to move on.

At the opposite side of the table sat the elder males of the Weasley Family. Bill, Charlie, George and Arthur were all looking between himself and the mollified prisoners sat in front of them. Harry pulled out a piece of folded parchment from inside his coat and placed it, unfolded, in front of them.

"This was my will. Made shortly after I turned sixteen, and just after when Dumbledore likely learned things that suggested I would have to die in order for Voldemort to fall. There is no way he could have known the circumstances that lead to me returning back to life." He gave them a minute to read the paper, some of them looking at the guilty parties in anger.

"You were all beneficiaries even if you were not informed. I consider that an indication that the Headmaster would not have trusted you to keep quiet about it. You are all still my friends and family, if you would keep me after this." Everyone at the table looked at him, clearly begging to speak to him. He considered letting them have their say but quickly decided to stick with his plan. Sleep was already not assured for the seeable future and he did not want to twist the knife in himself further.

"I believe that is all I have to say." He stood and vanished the chair he had conjured, wandless and wordlessly. Everyone looked at him in shock as he used one of Albus's own famous parlor tricks. "By the time your bindings release I will be gone forever. I wish you all a good life despite what animosity I have shown you here. George," he looked sadly at his one-eared friend, "should I not survive what I am about to attempt I will be sure to send Fred your regards. Everyone else, farewell." Without any further delay he spun on his heel and Apparated away.

It would be several hours before the houses occupants were released and many weeks before relationships between various members repaired. Hermione in particular disappeared to Australia for a time to find her parents upon the realization that Harry was truly gone. The Weasleys once again drifted apart to focus on their various jobs and hobbies.

Percy was thoroughly confused when he stopped by the next day to find the rebuilt Burrow full of tension. He was soon a bit off-put upon discovering he had not warranted an invitation to Harry's improper ingquisition.

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"Harry!" Exclaimed a dreamy blonde upon noticing her friend approaching where she sat on the bank of a river near where the Rook had once sat. Harry smiled and drew her into a hug as she stood.

"I see you are still living wild." He mused near her ear before pulling back. They both looked pointedly at the tent and remains of a campfire that was nearby.

"After your retelling of your adventures last year I thought there could be good luck associated with living out of a tent." She skipped over to one of the logs placed near her fire pit. Harry just shook his head and walked over before conjuring his own log to sit before muttering a quick spell to restart the fire.

"All I ever got out of it was sleepless nights and even more of Ron's snoring." She giggled in her singsong way. "Have you had better luck with it than me?"

"Well, some chipmunks ate most of my food a few weeks ago. That may have been partly my fault as I was the one who invited them in." Her ginger tapped her lips as she set into thought. "There was also the time the wind blew it away in the rain, but I was too busy dancing in it to really care at the time. Then there was the day I lost my necklace and the Nargles found me. They made me think of father." She was looking quite sad at her last statement. Harry, having at least some tact, made his way around the fire and sat next to her before bringing her into a hug.

"So not much luck then, huh?" He stated evenly. She shook her head in affirmation. After a few minutes of silence they pulled apart, "You know there are plenty of people you can stay with, right?"

"Oh, it's fine. I've been planning to go traveling and didn't want to get distracted. I'm leaving in a few weeks for the mainland to search for a few of the creatures in my fathers journal." There was a few tears that she quickly wiped away. Most of her normal Luna-ness was gone, which Harry never liked seeing. His quirky friend was only like this when she was particularly upset.

"Will you be writing more of the Quibbler? And please don't tell me you plan to go alone." He replied.

"I'm not sure about writing at the moment. Maybe somewhere down the line. As far as going alone I have actually found someone also interested in studying animals. If you weren't leaving so suddenly I'd have loved to introduce you two. I'm sure he'd love to hear about the Basilisk." She was smiling and mostly back to her normal self by the end. Harry could only grin and shake his head.

"How could I think you wouldn't know I was leaving. I don't suppose you are going to try to stop me?"

"We all have our own places to go." Luna stood and went back over to where she had been sitting before. The moon shone off the the gently flowing stream in front of her. Harry had followed and stood next to her. "Just be careful, and if you get a chance, write me a few letters." She looked up at him with a dreamy grin.

"It might be quite impossible to send you a letter where I'm going."

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived; if anyone can do the impossible it's you." She turned back to stare at the water. For a while they simply stood and stared across the grassy field, Luna humming a tune only she could follow the melody of.

"Oh, before you go I should give you a gift!" She exclaimed, running over to her tent. She slipped inside and he could hear quite a racket being made inside. He was about to ask if she was alright when she fell out the flap on her face looking disheveled. In a moment she was up and smiling, a string with several butter beer forks threaded through it in a makeshift necklace.

"This should keep the Nargles away; I know they like to hang around you so much." Harry took the proffered jewelry and was put it on. He lifted one of the corks up to examine it.

"Thank you, but I don't think I have anything on me I could give you."

"Never mind that, I think including me in your will is more than enough of a thanks." Harry ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"I'll miss you." Was all he could think of to say. She pulled him into a final hug.

"We'll meet again sometime. Besides, if you figure out how to write me it won't be so bad."

The two teens laughter filled filled the air for a few moments. A short while later Harry said his final fairwell to his friend and popped away with a small wave and a sad smile.

Luna simply sat back where Harry had found her. Another gentle tune humming through the air, this time a bit more dreary than before.

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BANG BANG BANG BANG

An awful racket pounded through the air of Neville Longbottoms room. He was up in an instant, fumbling for his wand. In his confusion he was unable to locate it and fell unceremoniously out of his bed.

"Looking for something, Nev?" Asked a familiar voice. The Longbottom Heir looked up in frustration to see Harry leaning against the poster at the end of his bed; his own wand waving in one hand while the other limply held two pans.

"Bloody hell, what in the world are you up to now?" He asked, standing up. Harry tossed him his wand and beckoned him to follow him.

"We need to talk. I'd prefer to do it in your study if that's alright." Neville simply huffed and pulled on a night robe.

"Fine, this better be important." They quickly made their way down the big empty corridors of Longbottom manor. In a few minutes they were in Neville's personal study. Plants of various mysterious kinds were all about the room. Harry sat down in one of the two chairs as Neville went over to a small cabinet and retrieved two glasses and a bottle of fire whisky.

"Since you're breaking into my house all cloak and dagger like I assume whatever this is will require drinks." He said, clunking the glasses on the table between them and pouring two fingers of the light brown liquid.

"Yes, it will probably help." Harry replies as he took his glass and sipped. It burned quite harshly enough on its way down that he coughed. "I'm sorry to say this Nev, but I'm going to die." He surreptitiously took another sip of his drink, it sure how his friend would react. Neville for his part reacted well, only giving a deep sigh before downing his glass. Smoke dribbled out his nose as he made a pained expression and then poured himself another drink.

"Any plans to come back this time." He sipped again. "You have a habit of recovering from it."

"No, I don't think I will be coming back this time. Neville, things here are... bad. My life is a joke; I found out two weeks ago that my best friends, the woman I loved, and the closest thing I have to a mother were all privy to my death before me. There was a will made by Dumbledore when I was 16, two bloody years ago, and they all knew about it." Neville closed his eyes and knocked the back of his head against his chair a few times before throwing back his drink once again.

"You should have had one anyway, but I can't believe nobody told you." Replied his friend, pouring another drink. "That could be considered line-theft, you know? Doubly so in your case."

"I don't really care about any of that. It's just painful that I can't trust anyone to really be on my side." Harry finished his own drink which Neville quickly refilled.

"I'm on your side, mate. There are plenty of people on your side. You don't need to off yourself just because you find out a few more people in your life are gits. Hell, all of Gryffindor turned its back on you several times and you always handled it fine." Neville stared seriously at him. Harry realized just how much the shy young man had grown up. He was glad he had come to speak with him.

"It's not that simple, but I'd rather not get into the details of my plans. Just know I'm not doing this to run away. If this pans out half as well as I hope maybe I'll be able to fix all that happened. If not," he took a large sip, "Well it's like you said. I have a habit of recovering from these things." Neville just sighed once again.

"Fine, I'll let you go along with whatever crazy plan you've come up with. I'm not as wimpy as I used to be," Harry followed Neville's eyes to where they were looking intently at the sword of Gryffindor, now hung above his desk, "But you would still probably kick my arse if I tried to stop you."

"I did stop the greatest dark lord that ever lived." Harry replies, puffing out his chest in false bravado. The two old friends chuckled. After the, somewhat alcohol induced, laughter died down things were once again serious. Harry withdrew two pieces of paper from his coat pocket and handed them to Neville. "You can keep the map. I hear you have plans to take over for Professor sprout at some point. The other is my will. There is another copy with the goblins but I thought that since you're the main benefactor that I should give you your own copy just in case." Neville was soon lost in thought, scanning the document he had handed him. After a minute his friend just gave a huff and tossed Borge parchments on the table.

"That's a lot of responsibility you've put on me there, mate. Regent of two more houses on top of being the last heir of my own." He rubbed his chin, scratching some of his stubble in thought." I suppose this means I could take three wife's. I'd have to convince Hannah though." He finished with a grin. Harry laughed in response.

"You should have seen me," he started, having to take a deep breath to continue, "When I read that I might be expected to take two wife's. Sirius must have thought he was being real bloody funny when he made me his heir." Both boys shared a round of laughter.

The conversation lifted in spirit, their talk continued for some while about happier times. In the end Harry was forced to make his farewell, sharing a strong handshake and a tight hug with whom he now was able to call his heir. The Man-Who-Conquered walked down the path leading from the entrance to Longbottom Manor happy and confident in his plans.

As he spun away in Apparation one final time he thought for a moment maybe he should stay. However he knew now it was too late. Goodbyes had been made, plans put into motion, and the thread of fate unwound from its spindle.

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Since the last time Harry had been in the Department of Mysteries they had clearly made some changes to security. It took him nearly an hour of sneaking around under his cloak for him to even find the entrance. It's location had been changed and there were repelling charms placed on it. Even under his cloak, which lessened the effect of wards, he still had to pinch himself a few times to even reach it. Once there he had tried everything he could think of to open it. After a few minutes of repeated failures he decided that since he wouldn't be facing any repercussions anyway he might as well do things the fun way.

It was around that time that a large boom rumbled through the ministry, followed closely by the alarms. What few civilian employees were inside quickly rushed out to the floos. On-duty Aurors rushed to where the disturbance was made and were soon followed by Unspeakables that came running through the green flames of the atriums fireplaces.

"Not very subtle at all." Harry commented from where he stood several meters from the wreckage of the doorway fanning smoke and dust from his face. Hearing the alarms he realized there was need to hurry and rushed through the impromptu entrance.

Those responding to the scene heard several more booms while en route. By the time they were there they found all the newly warded doors, requiring someone be allowed access for them to open, had been blasted apart. Later the Unspeakables would be forced to once again rethink their security strategies. However when the combined force of Aurors and Unspeakables stormed their way inside they found no sign of an intruder. Nothing was taken, destroyed, or even moved.

For months they would wonder what had happened. It was eventually concluded that the warden had done a poor job of setting up the defenses and they had backfired. This ended up creating a lot of headache for one particular which, who never lived down the ridicule of her coworkers.

Being an unspeakable sadly meant she didn't know who to get revenge on for the ribbing. So she ultimately just decided to prank everyone in Britain in a grand scheme involving cabbages, several hypogriffs, and a cauldron full of runny eggs.

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In front of Harry waved the veil of death. As soon as he had entered the room he had been assaulted by the whispering that emitted from it. Now as he stood only meters away he could almost make out what they were saying, getting the impression it was a mixture of beckoning calls and warnings to run away. Overall it was quite unnerving.

Still panting from his recent exertions he reached in his pockets. From one he pulled back out his fathers cloak and threw it over his head. In his other pocket he retrieved the Stone of Ressurection and gripped it tightly. In his other hand he still held tightly to the Elder Wand.

Thinking intently on his demands of death and pushing aside his doubts he strode confidently forward into the veil.

It was cold as if walking outside in the winter. There was only darkness in front of him this time. No train at Kings Cross to ferry him to the afterlife.

Then, without warning, the vast emptiness before him split. Light of various colors and shapes moved past him coming from an unseen horizon. Harry felt fear grip him like a vice. He could not move, only stare in horror at the realization he was truly entering the unknown; a place where he was never supposed to be.

The lights changed in speed. Intermittently flowing faster, their shapes changing in one moment from rigid structures to shapeless zephyrs. He could not tell if he moved through them or if they were racing past him. Then he began to see his own face, his eyes, aglow with the rainbows that sped past even as he could see only darkness behind him.

Then, when the fear felt inescapably crippling, he was released. He floated in a dark void once again. He could no longer feel his body and a strange sense of ease became of it. For how long he floated he could not tell but it seemed for ages. Occasionally, or perhaps in rapid succession, he would float by vast formations of light that reminded him of things he had seen in school as a child. The peace he felt was bliss, and he almost began to wonder if this was the end.

Without warning, in the blink of his eyes, he was suddenly himself once again. The passing lights racing faster than ever, his body shaking as if he were in an earthquake. Once again the primal fear took control and he soon found himself flying over miscolored vistas as if he were on a broom. They changed just as the lights had. Becoming rivers, forests, and mountains seemingly at random.

Finally he saw only himself once again. He was drawn into his own eyes and for a time stared at them until he forgot all else.

Just as suddenly as it all began it finally ended, and he came to sitting in a chair.

In front of him was an ornate white table and the room around him was similarly extravagent; white walls and detailed crenellations. Several chairs were placed at random, fancy dressers beneath blurry paintings, and floors that's large tiles glowed as if lit from beneath. His breath was short and rapid despite the sense of calm he felt being here. His hands gripped tightly to the arms of his chair as his mind raced with questions. Just as he was about to move or call out, perhaps both, a person strode past him to his left and around the table. He jumped in his chair, having not heard anyone coming up behind him. A glance backwards saw he was only a few meters from the wall. He ignored this and instead focused on the other being.

They appeared to be a woman and sat in a chair opposite of him. They had no hair at all and wore a simple white robe. Her, their, features were plain and without definition. They stared blankly at him and said nothing.

"What..." Was all he could manage in the moment. Whatever question he would have asked forgotten before it even formed. They continued to stare for several long minutes. He sat tense, completely lost and terrified of what consequences he was about to face for his stupidity. Then they blinked, the first movement he had seen them make since they sat. They blinked again, and he blinked. The room around him was gone, replaced by his study at Grimmauld place. They sat across from one another again in two high backed chairs. His guest was wearing the same simple white robe, however her features had become distinctly more feminine and she now had long black hair of a similar shade to his own.

"It was very pretentious of you to think you could order me around." The being smirked, perhaps at his open mouth and shocked expression. "I can understand your reasoning at least." It took several moments for Harry to decide on his first question.

"Who are you?" This earned another smirk. He noticed she wore bright red lipstick.

"Im death, in a sense. Normally I am far too abstract a concept for living beings to interact with like this. It took me a while to adjust into this form. I was compelled to since you saw fit to return me my things." Her eyes flicked to a small table between them where the Deathly Hallows now rested; the stone and wand placed atop a neatly folded cloak.

"Am I dead? I mean, permanently this time. Clearly I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I'm sorry for being rude. Things were just..." He trailed off as she simply stared at him. Her eyes were the same shade of green as his own.

"It is rare for a meeting like this to happen. The fates obviously brought you to me for a reason. What a shame it would be to disappoint them, no?" Her toothy grin was reminiscent of a goblins, though a thousand times more terrifying.

"So you'll do it then? Send me back in time?" Harry asked hopeful.

"No, I have no control over time. I can, however, bend the rules a bit in regards to death."

"What do you mean?" He asked when she paused for several moments, which she continued to do for a time after.

"There is another Harry, nearly the same as you. He died just before when he was eleven and, ignorant of his chance at a better life, chose to pass on. It would not be terribly difficult to send you back in his place." Death leaned back in her chair giving him a calculating look. Like a cat at a mouse.

"Do I need to do anything for you in exchange? I'm not exactly sure what you could possibly want from me though." His companion chuckled before suddenly standing.

"Just a promise not to go telling everyone about this. It would be very annoying to be bothered like this all the time." She strode over to his desk and picked up one of the ornate quills from its spot in an inkwell. She seemed to admire it for a few moments before setting it back down.

"Of course, anything you want." He was leaned forward in his chair watching her intently.

"Very well then, goodbye Harry Potter. Do try to enjoy yourself." Death finished with a smirk. Once again the world around him disappeared like a candle being blown out.

This time he awoke without all the theatrics.

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A/N So that's over with. Couldn't really decide on how he gets sent through time so I just did my best to describe the ending of 2001: A Space Oddysey. I've always thought the ending was about meeting death and rebirth. I might even just cut out Harry's conversation with death and leave it more open ended. Anyway, thanks for reading.

~Fumbls


	2. Plunged

Harry woke to the sounds of a woman screaming in panic. Shaking his head he looked around to see a middle aged woman exiting her car. He was lying in the road directly in front of it and noticed a large dent in the front bumper. Several feet away on the sidewalk was his cousin looking pale faced down at him. This was not how he was hoping to start off his next adventure.

"Oh lord, are you alright!" Shrieked the woman. She came around the hood of her car to kneel next to him.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little bump." She looked around, noticing the large indentation from where he had been hit. She then scowled up at Dudley.

"What were you thinking, shoving this boy into the road like that? I'm calling the authorities! You just stay right here and sit still, okay?" She ordered before rushing off to the closest building. It was about then he took in that they were a few blocks away from Privet Drive and all the gawking neighbors. The situation was quickly getting out of hand. Thinking quickly he stood up and went over to his still gaping cousin.

"Look you fat lard, just tell them it was an accident. Don't say anything stupid and get me locked in the cupboard again, okay?" Dudley's eyes widened and his mouth opened, lips quivering.

"Y-you can't say that to me. I'll tell-" he was quickly cut off by Harry.

"I almost died, you arse. Be glad I'm not going to tell them the truth. Now be quiet." He sat down angrily in the grass on the side of the road. Before he had time to think about running away the woman was back babbling on and dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. Soon after her wails were joined by the cries of sirens and so began the circus.

It took nearly an hour in the back of an ambulance and talking to three different police officers before they accepted that he was fine and believed his story about his cousin tripping him on accident. In that time the Dursley's has shown up. Vernon has vehemently started blaming it all on Harry somehow under the impression that it was Dudley who had been thrown in front of a car. When the authorities told him there were several eye witness saying otherwise and that it was only Harry saying it was an accident the walrus of a man only grew even more red and started yelling louder. Then the driver had started shrieking back and it was all Harry could do to keep from just slipping away in the confusion. By the time everyone had calmed down and the two boys were sitting in the back of the Dursley's car on their way back to Number 4 it was clear there would be hell to pay for all this.

Several of the officers watched the car drive away with suspicion. The apparent reputation of the little black haired boy did not at all reflect how he had acted. His relatives reaction to the situation only increased interest in what was going on with the strange family.

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"Hurry up and make breakfast." Was all Petunia said to him after she opened the door to his cupboard and then walking away. Harry scowled at her back but shakily stood and made his way to the kitchen.

"Four bloody days." He mumbled under his breath as he entered the kitchen and began gathering things to make eggs and bacon. It was the length of time he had been locked away under the stairs following his return, or perhaps arrival, in the past.

It only took him a short while to prepare breakfast. He had managed to stuff some food into his mouth in the short intervals when his Aunt was not monitoring him. When he had originally been this age Harry never would have dared do this.

His cousin and uncle came down the stairs shortly after. Dudley, too groggy from sleep to notice anything but the food at the table, simply sat down. Vernon was however more than awake enough to notice the small boy and give him what he likely thought was an intimidating glare. Harry for a moment reconsidered killing them but quickly brushed away the notion. It was a line of thinking he found too dark.

Taking the opportunity while they were distracted he mumbled something vague about using the bathroom and made his way into the front hall. His sour mood was immediately cheered when he saw, as he had hoped, a latter slide through the mail slot and fall to the floor. After a glance behind himself to see if anyone else had seen it he rushed forwards and picked it up. It was his Hogwarts letter. Without a second thought he reached up to unlock the door and a minute later he was as far away as his little legs would carry him.

As he ran he mused that even in his current state he would still be able to outrun any of his relatives.

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After having ducked through several other yards and crossing as innocently looking as possible to the other side of the suburbs he had finally made it to the nearest train station. He was glad that the Dursley's were unlikely to call the police as they would have assuredly be waiting there for him. His relatives had decided to try and catch him themselves and were milling about the station. It took several hours of hiding across the street in a park before they finally got in their car and left. Relieved, he made his was across as soon as the next train was supposed to arrive.

He was nearly caught sneaking onto trains as he made his way towards London. Luckily it was not very far and he only needed to do so twice.

On his way he found himself at a familiar station and was too curious not to take a peak at his favorite coffee shop. To his surprise there was a familiar looking little girl there playing behind the counter who caught him staring at her. Embarrassed, he gave her a weak wave and ran off.

Arriving in London proper he began making his way through the streets. Harry was more than a little apprehensive of the fact he likely more think looked the part of a lost or runaway child and did his best to stick to busy footpaths near motherly looking women. Very tired and extremely hungry he finally made his way to the familiar sight of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry spent a fair amount of time waiting outside a nearby store before he finally worked up the courage to slip inside behind two witches. Keeping his head down and hair patted over his scar He managed to make it through the Cauldron unnoticed. He was more than a little fortunate to come to the back passage the the alley just as the two witches were passing. Perhaps it was just his new body, but he felt a distinct sense of awe upon once again entering the magical world. His eyes were immediately drawn to the shining white marble of Gringotts. As he made his way over to and up the steps he pondered if the goblins had placed some sort of charm on the building.

After the expected glares from the guards as he passed the threshold into the dim teller area he hesitated. Obviously what he was about to do could be seen as illegal or at least of high question. Setting as stern a look upon his face as possible he made his way over to the first available teller with the hopes that his demeanor would be enough to sway the goblins opinion of him in a positive manor.

"I need to enter my trust vault." Harry started, interrupting the goblin just as he was about to speak. "I do not have my key but can prove who I say I am." In a moment he had his somewhat crumpled letter slid past the bars into the tellers window. The goblin flared at him for a moment before considering the parchment.

"Gringotts will require more than a letter to identify the owner of a vault." Harry was more than familiar with the grin that grew on the tellers face when it looked up. "If you are certain you are who this letter claims to be, we would be happy to verify your identity." After an affirmative nod the goblin simply gestures for him to follow it towards the back of the bank.

Following the goblin past a large oak door, himself followed by a pair of armed goblins, Harry once again reconsidered the benifits of dealing with the shorter beings. It may have just been his young body but there was a considerable amount of sweat running down his person as he was ushered into yet another door. The room it preceded simply contained a small desk with a chair on each side. As he entered the two following guards stood on either side of the doorway while the teller goblin took its place in the chair opposite and gave a gesture for him to sit.

"All we require is a small sample of blood." They said simply. It's eyes glanced pointedly at a small pad of rubber while pulling out a sheet of parchment. Harry had no idea what to immediately think but took a deep breath and placed his forefinger on the pad. Some kind of needle jabbed his finger and he pulled it away containing a hiss of pain. Looking at it he saw a small drop of blood and glancing at the goblin he was only given a toothy smile and a wave towards the parchment. Looking down he saw only blank parchment.

"This is not a trick, is it?" He asked, wishing at the moment he had at least a wand to defend himself with.

"Of course not, so long as you are who you claim to be." Harry wondered if he would ever grow accustomed to goblins seemingly malicious grins. With a short nod he placed his bloody finger on a corner of the parchment. It glowed a moment before the goblin quickly snatched it from its place on the table. Behind him he could hear a slight rustling of metal clearly coming from the two guards behind him. Across the table the teller-goblins eyes darted back and forth across the piece of parchment it held.

"Very well, I will be back in a moment." Replied the goblin with a frown. It shuffled off its chair and exited the room through a door that Harry had not seen before. His palms grew somewhat sweaty as the minutes passed by. Just as panic began to build in his chest the door suddenly swung open. In entered the goblin, which quickly made his way over to the table before gruffly slapping a dull brass key on the table in front of him.

After a curt command to follow him, ever after the guards were abandoned, Harry was quickly lead down several more hallways before entering a familiar area that held the carts down into the vaults. Despite being somewhat mollified by his visit so far it was hard for Harry to contain a few joyful yelps as the cart swung around the various bends of the tracks.

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After a slight nod to the goblins guarding the doors of the bank, one he somewhat recognized from some previous visit, Harry made his way down the steps to the Alley proper. Tied to his belt was a bulging sack of coins along with as much as he could seritpitoisly stuff in his pockets. Luckily his baggy clothing had made it easy to conceal the small fortune he carried on his person. Once he had ran a hand through his hair to scruff it back over his forehead Harry proceeded down the alley.

Having passed several shops that he dearly wished to enter he finally pushed open the door that lead to a dimly lit shop filled with rows of shelves containing small boxes. The bell above him rang unanswered for several moments until suddenly a disheveled old man with piercing blue eyes floated around one of the corners.

"Oh my, I wasn't expecting you for some time." The man simply stated. "I suppose you are here for your wand, Mr. Potter?" Asked the older wizard.

"Yes, sir. If you aren't busy." Was all he could reply, trying to be polite as possible. His mind recalled memories of both Ollivanders uncanny wisdom and the unhealthy state in which he had last seen him during the war.

"Never too busy to find a wand it's young wizard." Stated the man with a smile. "Simply lift your right arm out and I will begin my work."

Lifting his arm up towards the wizard he was once again assaulted by the magical measuring string of the man. Nothing at all seemed abnormal from the first time he had come to find a wand. Harry had to hold back his impatience as he tested wand after wand with no success. Just as before, the older wizard raised a finger and disappeared into the shelves.

"A rare combination," He started after appearing behind a shelf on the opposite side of the storeroom, "But fitting for the rare wizard such as yourself." Ollivander gently slid a box across the counter towards Harry. Without patience he opened it, ready to snatch his prize, only to hesitate upon seeing something completely unexpected.

In place of his favored length of holly was in stead a disturbingly familiar wand of yew. It's handle was not as hooked and jagged since he had last seen it but it was unmistakably the wand of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"Are you sure this is mine?" He asked without taking his gaze from instrument that he had seen do unthinkable evils. Somehow drawn to it he found himself picking it up without waiting for a reply. As soon as he raised it out of the box it began to emit silver sparks that intensified when he raised it up and gave it a wave.

"I am never sure," Replied the older wizard, "But the wand always is. It would seem we have found a match. Thirteen and a half inches, yew, with a Phoenix feather core. Quite the strange combination. In fact, I believe the bird that gave that feather only ever-" The shopkeeper was cut off by the jangle of his doorbell and the entrance of two more patrons.

"Amelia Bones," The shopkeeper turned with a smile, "Six and a quarter inches oak with a dragon heartstring. I take it this is your niece, Susan." He offered a hand to a familiar looking girl who Harry remembered having been in his year at school. It was the other older and intimidating witch that made his heart pound. He distinctly remembered her being on both the Wizengamot and, more importantly, a department head in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If there was anyone who would be suspicious that he was here alone it would be her. He did his best to keep his head down in an attempt to avoid notice.

"Yes, it is finally time for little Sue to get her wand." Replied the woman after taking her monocle from her eye and moving to also shake Ollivanders hand. She ignored the glare she received from the younger witch. "Feel free to finish servicing this young man. Susan can wait a little bit longer."

"Of course, right this way Mr Potter." Ushered the older man. Harry had to stifle a groan as he walked over to the register.

"Potter?" He heard the two witches exclaim to his side. He winced and looked over to see the pair staring at him with wide eyes.

"Where is Albus? I would be certain he would be here to see you choose your wand?" Questioned the older of the two after quickly composing herself. Yet again Harry was considering running away from his problems that day. He considered saying the Headmaster was simply up the alley on personal business but quickly discarded the idea.

"I don't know who you are talking about." Harry stared at the floor trying his best to look the bashful child. "I'm here on my own." Harry handed over the payment for his wand to Ollivander, who looked puzzled.

"That's-" Began Amelia before pausing. She looked pointedly towards her niece. "Why don't you see about finding a wand whilst I have a word with Mr. Potter here." A reply was cut off with a simple raised eyebrow and responded with a curt nod. Susan immediately seemed to forget what was troubling her and flashed a smile towards Harry before the Wandmaker started her on the process of locating a wand.

"Would you mind speaking with me for a moment?" Madam Bones asked Harry, who only gave a shy nod before following her over to a set of chairs near the dusty window. When they had sat she questioned "So why is it that you are alone her in Diagon Alley?" Her tone was nearly as hard as her features and he was under no illusion that she would buy his lies.

"Well, I just got my Hogwarts letter today." He started uncertainly. "When I learned about magic the first thing I did was try to find out more about it."

"Are you telling me you just learned about magic today?" Her tone was skeptical and her eyes narrowed.

"Yes, ma'am." Was all he felt comfortable replying.

"So you mean to say that you don't know of Albus Dumbledore or the World of Magic?" Her face darkened when he could only shake his head. For several minutes she stared at him. When his eyes darted upwards they were met with piercing golden pupils and a large frown.

"Aunty, look!" They were interrupted by a shower of yellow-ish sparks bursting out from the wand Susan held across the room. Her expression softening, the older woman made her way over to hug her Niece and in short order pay for the new wand in question. The pair then approached Harry; Susan clearly absorbed in studying her new wand while Amelia gave him an appraising look.

"I assume you have other items to purchase?" Asked the taller witch while she fixed her monocle back over her eye. "Very well then. Susan, could you accompany Mr. Potter across the street to buy a trunk? I must make a quick Floo call." She asked of the shorter witch when Harry replied with an affirmative nod. They had just made their way out the door, a faint farewell from Ollivander behind them, when Susan grabbed his hand.

"Of course, Auntie! Let's go!" Exclaimed the faintly red-headed girl as she led him a few doors down to the opposite side of the street. Harry didn't even have time to take in the name of the exact store before they were in at the counter.

"Well then, I am more than accustomed to students arriving here this time of year. What were the two of you looking for?" Asked a middle-aged wizard from behind the counter. There were several other customers inside that gave them only fleeting glances past the various stacks of magical trunks; some of which rattled unnaturally.

"Trunks, of course!" Came the eagerly the reply from the girl that still held Harry's hand. He could only nod in agreement before the shopkeeper nodded and proceeded to show them around the store.

By the time they had returned to the counter Harry found his hand freed, if a bit colder. Susan now held a standard Hogwarts trunk identical to the one he once owned. He had decided to spoil himself and purchased a briefcase with several expanded compartments that could be accessed by inputting different codes on the lock. It was yet another thing he had not previously been aware of. He never had time to consider that he used the same mundane wooden trunk for his entire career at Hogwarts whilst others had invariably purchased more useful items.

"Are you sure your guardians will be okay that you spent that much?" Questioned his friend as they exited the shop. While she was clearly too elated to be purchasing her Hogwarts supplies, namely her wand, he had distinct memories of her being very supportive during the D.A. and knew she would make a good friend this time around.

"I doubt they would even care." He responded.

After a few moments spent loitering on a nearby bench Susan stood up when she saw her Aunt.

"No troubles?" She asked simply of the two, taking in what they both now carried.

"I just got the standard expanded trunk like you suggested." Beamed Susan before looking back at Harry while he tried to avoid attention. "He bought a nice briefcase though."

"Really." Mused Amelia, her expression bland. "Perhaps you could also show Mr. Potter to Madame Malkins? It would seem I have need to drop by my office."

"Will you be gone long then?" His companion asked as she shuffled closer. Had he not held his trunk in the nearer hand he was certain she would have taken it.

"It should be no longer than it would take to get a fitting." She Replied.

"Okay, we'll wait outside if you do." Was the reply as the girl tugged Harry down the Alley with her. He cast a shy smile towards the older woman more than aware what her excursions were about. As he followed the soon-to-be Hufflepuff down the Alley he grew more than a little concerned about how he would be ending his day.

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"-and she wrote they will be back next week!" Exclaimed Susan as they stood on twin podiums getting fitted for robes.

Harry had been somewhat lost in thought as the girl talked about her best friend, Hannah Abbot, of the same age. She had also been a member of the DA and he could recall her amongst the wounded after the Battle for Hogwarts. Her fitter finished before his did prompting the girl to jump off her stool.

"Do you really think you will need a whole new wardrobe?" She asked after putting back on her overcloak. She eyed him appealingly in the mirror. The seamstress that was measuring him gave a light huff at her comment.

"Well," he began with a pause, "I think my muggle clothes don't fit in that well. My parents seemed to have left me a bit of money and I supposed I'd rather try to fit in with all of you." Despite the needled hands about his person it was hard to ignore the slight twitch in the shoulders of the witch currently fitting him.

"Well I do hope Aunty comes back soon. I'd hate to delay our shopping any further." He could see her beaming in the mirror.

"Me too, it's been a very long day." His smile was quite a bit more forced than hers but as genuine as he could make it. Her own darkened and for a few minutes the shop stood in silence besides the work of the witches taking measurements.

For a time the silence continued without interruption. Harry used this time to compose himself and try to decide how best to proceed from his current predicament. Escaping notice from the Bones was nearly impossible at this point. At best he could hope to placate them until further notice. His bets were on himself being sent back to the Dursley's following a stern talking to.

So Harry barely noticed others enter the store. His eyes lock upon his own in contemplation barely realized his companion greeting one of the newcomers as they stood upon the stool Susan had recently occupied.

"Bones, I had no idea you were friendly with Harry Potter." Stated the person next to him. It took him a moment to realize what they had said. His eyes darted across the mirror to see the face of an impassive blonde girl with an angular face. She too seemed somewhat familiar in the way Susan had.

"Only recently, Greengrass. Do you have a problem with that?" His gaze once again turned towards his new friend. It would seem that his luck had been all but spent traveling to this new past. Harry glanced towards the girl next to him that seemed to barely notice his presence.

"Of course not," The girl began with a huff that her seam-witch gave a grumble at, "I simply try to keep notice of the interactions between Ancient Houses." The girl in question had raised her nose as if her answer was obvious. Behind him he could see both Susan and the witch that accompanied his stool-mate, who was quite clearly the girls mother, each try to hide a small smirk.

"I expected you to care about that," Susan added with emphasis, "It is just surprising you would not adress him yourself." There was a barely contained snort from the older Greengrass. In the mirror he could see the other girls features redden at the response. A moment later he noticed her head turned towards his causing his eyes to move to find hers.

"Harry Potter, is it?" She asked with piercing eyes. Harry suddenly recalled precisely who she was; a Slytherin whom he had never talked to. In his surprise he couldn't immediately remember her name.

"Yes, and you are?" He Replied, doing his best to match her aloof tone.

"Daphne Greengrass, I expect you not to forget it." Was her reply.

"Are you also just going to Hogwarts then?" His question was somewhat genuine as he could not fully remember if he had taken classes with her. Having stared closer at her face he recalled another girl of similar age that had been at the castle during his stay. Her head should again to look at him with an angry expression.

"Of course I am! Don't tell me you are unaware of the Greengrass family!" Her pale face was flushed as she turned to address him.

"I-" He paused for a moment. While accustomed to the stress of battle he had little experience with engaging in conversation. Luckily his newfound confidence took over.

"I have no idea who you are." His statement was delivered in a manner far colder than he was used to using. "Maybe if I had not been raised by muggles I would. Despite that I still see no reason I should care who you are other than that my new friend Susan recognizes you." He ended his short tirade with a deep frown that he directed towards the upper edge of the mirror before him. Even so he could not miss the shocked expressions of the other occupants of the shop.

Within a few minutes his measurements were done and the witch having taken them told him he could wait while his clothes were made. Shortly after the other girl was told something similar. She waited by her mother whereas Susan went over to quietly talk to her friend about the clothing they had bit bought. Harry simply tried his best to look calm while he collected himself.

It was not long before Madam Malkin levitated several small packages onto the counter and ushered Harry forward. He quickly paid for his purchase and stuffed the parcels into a compartment of his trunk. As he thanked the shop owner the bell above the door chimed again, this time ushering in Madame Bones.

"Amelia, I was wondering when you would show up." Greeted the elder Greengrass woman.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Cecilia." Unlike the younger two girls they greeted each other with a quick hug.

"Since when do you know Mr. Potter?" Questioned Mrs Greengrass before both glanced his way.

"Not very long. Actually we just met an hour ago." Amelia frowned at Harry a moment before shaking her head and giving him a reserved smile. "I take it you found everything you needed, Harry?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He said, trying to pass off his nervousness as him just being shy.

"Where will you be shopping next?" Questioned Cecilia. "Perhaps we could accompany you and do a little catching up?"

"We were going to get textbooks next. I'm sure we would be more than glad for your company." Amelia opened the door and ushered them all out after quickly paying for Susans robes.

The two older woman fell back a ways behind the trio soon-to-be first years. To Harry it was obvious they were discussing him. The two girls next to him were both awkwardly quiet as they walked to Flourish and Blotts. When they entered the well lit lobby the three broke apart, Harry heading upstairs while the other two made their way to a section in the front. Their chaperones browsed the displays in the lobby near the door in order to keep an eye on them all.

Harry figured he might not get another chance to come here for a while and so was careful to slip a few books that were slightly out of his age range into his shopping bag. He hoped that the tomes on occlumency, health potions, and the history of Magical Britain's government would go unnoticed amongst his school books. Since they were all buying the same books it was inevitable that he would cross pass with the two girls again. Daphne was clearly upset at him from before and with a sigh he decided that if she was friends with Susan it would be in his best interests to mend things between them.

"About before," he began after tapping her on the arm, "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just, I only found out about all of this today. When you expected me to know who you were I got a bit upset because, well, I probably should." She stared at him for a moment with Susan standing off to the side looking a bit nervous.

"It's understandable," she gave a quick look at Susan, "She informed me you only learned about magic today. Like the rest of us I had assumed you were just being all high and mighty." He shook his head.

"No, I actually hated finding out about being this whole boy-who-lived nonsense. I'm of course happy to become a part of Magical Britain but I would trade the fame for my parents back in a heartbeat." Susan made her way over to him and gave him a brief hug.

"It's okay, we won't treat you any differently." She grinned. "Well maybe not too differently."

"There is quite a bit of mystery surrounding you." Affirmed Daphne with her own smile. "Maybe you can tell us a bit about yourself to help dispel some of those rumors."

"Only if I get to ask about you two." He returned with his own smile.

Tensions eased and they were able to finish book shopping and made their way to several othe shops for potions supplies and a few things the older witches needed. He kept his replies brief and vague as to the questions about himself, a bit apprehensive about the fact that he had a fairly poor childhood. Mostly he told them about the mutual dislike between himself and his relatives, briefly touched on "Harry Hunting", and that he grew up never really having friends. When asked about his hobbies he couldn't really think of anything other than cooking and gardening which were actually more like chores. However he grew to appreciate the normalcy of the activities therapeutic after defeating Voldemort and holing up in Grimmauld.

Much of what he learned about Susan he already knew. Her parents had died in the war with Voldemort and she dearly wanted to be a Hufflepuff. He did learn her best friend was Hannah Abbot, though he was fairly certain he already knew that, and that her favorite thing to do was go swimming.

Daphne was his companion of which he next to nothing about other than she wanted to be in Slytherin. She had a younger sister name Astoria whom he remembered was in a relationship with Draco by the time he had left for this universe. Her mother was apparently in the Wizengamot and her father was a wealthy businessman who traded in potions ingredients. Daphne also pointed out that their three families were fairly old and influential in Wizarding Britain, with all three of them expected to be taking up seats in the Government at some point. Harry was mildly surprised at this but realized it made sense. After his victory over Tom he had done his best to be left alone to contemplate his life. In fact he realized that he had conveniently decided to skip town about a week before he was to be presented with his Order of Merlin, First Class. Other than that he had no interest in politics. Maybe Greengrass could be of some help with that in the future.

Throughout their exchange he was keenly aware that their chaperones were paying rapt attention to whatever information he gave up. Based off what he remember from his own timeline and what little he gleamed from Susan and Daphne this was to be expected. He had always been too distracted to notice it but clearly his presence was more than a little lacking in the lives of his fellow witches and wizards. This was yet another thing he added to his dish of worries.

"Would you like to get an owl?" Amelia asked as they exited a store filled with, of all things, spoons. He hadn't been sure why they were there but it had been interesting to see the magically animated spoons do dances and acrobatics. His face lit up as he remembered his dead companion. They were quick to make their way to Eeylops Owl Emporium. He nearly burst through the door in his excitement to find Hedwig. He eagerly began looking amongst the various snowy owls for one that seemed familiar as he made his way through the somewhat smelly shop.

After making three loops of the shop he was filled with more than a little disappointment at not being able to locate his friend. He even asked the shopkeeper about any other snowy owls in the back but was mollified when he was told they were all up front. Carefully he went back around the shop twice while ignoring the strange looks he received from his companions before he suddenly felt the weight of a bird on his shoulder, it's talons lightly digging into his skin. There was a familiar bark followed by and equally memorable sensation of his hair being preened.

"Hedwig!" He exclaimed, reaching a hand to ruffle the feathers on her head. She gave another short bark before nipping affectionately at his fingers.

"Wow, she's beautiful!" He noticed Susan and the other approach out of the corner of his eye.

"I've never seen an owl take to a wizard so quickly." Stated Cecilia Greengrass.

"How did you know to look for it?" Questioned Daphne.

"I just felt I was missing something." He replied, not taking his eyes away from the yellow of Hedwig.

"Magic." Supplied Amelia with a smile. "What will you call her?"

"Hedwig." He replied immediately, not caring if it seemed suspicious. The owl in question looked at the others for a moment before giving a light hoot.

"A good choice." Announced the witch at the desk. "Only fifteen galleons. I can offer you a discount on the cage and some treats if you would like." She offered. Walking up to the counter he pulled his money bag from its place in his pocket.

"No, I don't think I'd like to see her in a cage." The clerk simply shrugged and in a few moments he had produced the proper coinage. The shopkeeper gave him a smile and a nod while she deposited the Galleons into the register. The group soon exited the shop and found themselves all standing in a small circle.

"We should be returning home." Supplied the Greengrass matriarch after a moment.

"I believe we should as well." Replied Amelia while giving a knowing look towards both Susan and himself. The group was near the Apparation point of The Alley and quick farewell were exchanged at the Greengrasses left.

"So, Mr. Potter, would you like to spend the night at the Bones estate while you figure out your living situation?" Mrs Bones asked once the others had left. Susan was clearly elated at the idea whilst Amelia kept her normal neutral glare from behind her monocle. Harry knew he could somewhat easily fend for his own but was aware that insisting on doing so would only cast more suspicion on himself.

"I don't really have anyplace to stay. If you could help me find a hotel..." Was all he could reply.

"Well," The Bones Matriarch gazed at him appraisingly, "we have plenty of room at the Manor. I am sure we could easily situate you for the time being." Her smile was all the encouragement he needed.

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His first night at the Bones manor went far smoother than he expected. They had taken the floo from the Leaky Cauldron to the foyer of their home. Harry had, of course, been shoved out of the fireplace and landed unceremoniously on his face to the amusement of Susan.

He was quickly introduced to their house elf named Lipsy. She escorted him to his room and during that time she acted much like Amelia; reserved and polite. Despite the clear difference in demeanor he could not help but to think of Dobby whilst he followed her exuberant description of the mansion as they made their way through the the brightly colored halls of the manor.

"Down there be the misses rooms." Lipsy explained with a wave towards a passage to his left without stopping her pace. "Up ahead are being the guest quarters."

"That is a lovely garden." Harry mentioned as they passed by several large windows displaying the grounds.

"That is mostly Gurdlings work, Master Potter. He has tended to Master Julius' gardens since he passed away." She finished her explanation solemnly while Harry had stopped to take in the sight. The sun was still fairly high and it was obvious the gardens sprawled over at least and acre of land.

"Was he the former head of house Bones?" Harry asked simply.

"Yes, Lord Julius and Lady Sarah were being the head of the house." Lipsy's ears and shoulders dropped at the mention of her former owners.

"It is a lovely garden." Was all Harry managed to say. His knowledge on the Bones family was limited and he was unsure what to make of this new information.

The house elf wiped away a tear before beckoning Harry to follow her. He was soon shown to a rather spacious room that a dozen of the cupboards he had previously resides in would have barely cluttered a corner. After ensuring that he found the accommodations to his liking the elf told him to call her when he was done unpacking so that she could take him to the dining room. She popped away with a blush after he gave her a hearty thanks for her help.

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Harry was nervous as he finally met the piercing golden eyes of Amelia Bones. He had just recounted the best he could remember of his experiences at the Dursley's. Despite withholding what he now considered to be minor transgressions it was clear the elder witch was upset even before she responded. His eyes had never left his lap during the confession.

"Harry," she began after a painfully long pause. It was then followed by another as he met her eyes and looked away in shame. Even in his previous lifetime this was a topic which he had never discussed in detail.

"Would you appreciate me taking legal action against your relatives?" She held up a hand to momentarily stop him as his head snapped back up in protest. "Their mistreatment goes far beyond anything I could conceive. Might I remind you that my niece found her way into my care under similar circumstances. Even if I had loathed my brother and his wife I could not ever imagine mistreating a child." He thought on this for several moments.

"So long as I don't have to see them again I don't care what happens." He finally said, looking back up into her piercing gaze. Amelia said nothing for a while, clearly deep in thought.

"Very well," She decided, "I will let the matter go. If you should change your mind or have anything more serious about their conduct to tell me, please do so." Her eyebrows quirked in a questioning manner. Harry was glad he hadn't mentioned the cupboard under the stairs.

"No, Ma'am, that is all." The older woman finally leaned back in her chair and gave a sigh.

"Very well, Mr Potter. Why don't you go find Susan then. I am sure she is anxious to show you the grounds." She mentioned with a knowing smile. It faltered at Harry's next actions.

"Thank you for listening." He said slightly teary-eyed as he stood and gave the woman a hug. She returned it tightly and held the young man for several moments. With a slight sniff Harry managed a genuine smile. "I'll go find Susan then."

Amelia watched the young man depart somewhat shocked. Up until that point the boy had been more than a little reserved. It was the most emotion she had seen him display and the only time Harry had initiated physical contact with anyone. Despite the harrowing questions these facts raised she still gave a fond smile towards the doorway he had left through.

"Bloody little boy feelings." Harry commented under his breath after departing from the room. He wiped several more tears from his eyes as he wound his way through the halls towards the gardens. Normally he wouldn't have been so emotional, or so he told himself.

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The fireplace in the entry hall of Bones manor blazed with green flame for a moment before dying down to reveal a young blonde haired girl who was immediately enveloped in a hug by her red-headed friend.

"Geeze sue, let me clean the ash off first." She exclaimed despite eagerly returning the hug.

"I couldn't wait any longer!" Susan Bones shouted as she pulled back for a moment. In another she was squeezing her best friend back into another hug. "I haven't seen you in two months! Oh so much has happened!" Hannah eventually managed to pry herself from her best friends arms and dust the ashes from her cloak.

"Like you haven't sent me a thousand letters." She replied with a grin. "Please tell me you weren't joking about your new house-guest!" Susan grabbed her hand and began dragging her through the house.

"Harry is just out back by the pond! You absolutely must meet him!" The ginger haired girl exclaimed with a bit more shriek to her voice than would be considered normal. They were soon peaking around the edge of a window overlooking the back yard.

The boy himself was at that time relaxing on a comfortable patch of grass next to a blue pool of water that was used for swimming during the summer months. His previously pale skin had already taken to a more healthy looking hugh. With the help of some seritipitously ordered potions and the generously sized meals served at the Bones his scrawny frame was also starting to look normal.

After some blushing and giggling at the shirtless state of the young man both girls ran to Sudan's room to change into swimwear. In record time they were making their way outside to go bother the young man. While he had talked in length with the youngest Bones about school she had been hesitant to try discussing more about the boy himself. Hannah had always been the more social of the two and would assuredly bring out at least a few secrets during their afternoon hangout.

AN-

Been a rough couple weeks since the holidays. Definitely going to focus on this for now.

Not quite done with this chapter yet. Maybe another 2k words to get through the summer.

Love any feedback wether good or bad.

Xoxo

~Fumbls


	3. Holding Breath

"Do you think there's any chance there is someone?" Asked the black haired boy meekly. Amelia was reminded once again that the hero of their world was actually quite an unconfident and shy child. She squeezed the hand already placed on his shoulder and gave him her most re-assuring smile.

"Harry, I promise that the first thing I do once the train leaves is to begin looking. Surely there must have been at least one person your parents would rather have sent you to." The young man gave a faint smile and shook his head in affirmation. "Good, then off with you. Merlin knows I could use some piece and quiet with all the racket you three have been making." She finished with a sarcastic tone. In reality she would sorely miss her beloved niece and two friends filling the Bones dreary halls with joy.

Harry, for his part, could only mumble a quick goodbye and brief hug before turning around to board the Hogwarts Express. His keen eyes easily saw the heads of his two friends duck back from the window of the compartment from where they had watched their exchange. As he climbed the steps with his briefcase he could only hope that his initial attempt at seeing Sirius on the path to freedom would be successful.

In the past he had always boarded the trolleys at the last minute when most students were in their compartments already waving at their parents. Due to the punctual nature of the Bones and Abbott's he had, for the first time in his multiple lives, arrived with enough time to say proper farewells at the station. Because of this he found himself squeezing through corridors packed with students; many of whom were jarringly taller than him. In this confusion he barely had time to notice a plump toad deftly hopping between the chaos of legs below him. Pausing for a moment he waited for the opportune time to hastily grab the moist creature as it narrowly avoided being squashed between the legs of an older Ravenclaw. It squirmed for a moment in his hand but he managed to keep a firm grip about its portly body and was soon making his way towards the compartment his two friends were in. With both hands full he could only tap on the glass with his elbow to let them know he had arrived.

"We were wondering when you would get here." Beamed Hannah as she opened the compartment to let him inside. "What's with the toad?" She inquired as he stumbled inside.

"Saw the poor thing nearly get stepped on out there in the panic. Thought I'd take him someplace safe until we can find his owner." Harry set Trevor down on the seat as he said this. The Toad gave the equivalent of a huff before hopping onto an arrest near the window. Harry's magical briefcase was immediately stored under his bench before he sat down with his own huff, though this one was of relief.

"What were you talking to Aunty about?" Inquired Susan from her own seat. Her absent gaze out the window was betrayed by the subtle curious tone in her voice.

"Just thanking her for taking me in this summer is all." He replied cooly. Hannah, the more open of the two, gave him a knowing grin.

"So, what should we do to pass the time? I know a few word games from muggle secondary school we could play." The occupants of the compartment made themselves comfortable as the brunette began an enthusiastic explanation of a game where one person poses a vague description of something nearby that the others have to guess the identity of.

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Several dozen rounds of the game passed in a blur of laughter. Partway through they had been interrupted by the arrival of the Trolley Witch. The candy purchased from her had only served to up the stakes of the game with the candy being gambled during rounds. Despite his keen eyes Harry soon found himself behind his two companions. Wether this was because of the numerous plans running through his head or collusion between his opponents he did not know. In either case he found himself thoroughly happy with the train ride. He only wished he could have felt comfortable purchasing a few chocolate frogs but considering the watchful gaze of Trevor he had opted for less amphibious looking sweets. Had he not known that eventually their game would be interrupted Harry would likely have been as startled as the two soon-to-be Hufflepuffs when the door to their compartment clicked open to reveal a slightly frantic looking girl with frizzy hair.

"Hello, sorry to interrupt, but Neville here has lost his toad. We were wondering if anyone had seen it. Oh my, that is a large amount of sweets. You know, my parents are dentists and they say that eating too many is terrible for your teeth. Are you sure you could even eat all of those, I mean-" The compartments occupants were saved by the boy standing behind her suddenly slipping past her into the compartment and picking up the toad.

"Trevor! What are you doing here. I was worried sick about you." His only response from the toad was a dull croak. All at once the boy seemed to realize where he was and grew extremely red in the face. It seemed he was trying to say something but his mouth opened and closed silently. Deciding to give the younger version of Neville a break Harry replied just before Hannah.

"His names Trevor then? Was wondering who he belonged to. Found him wandering the trolleys when I boarded the express. We assumed someone would come looking." The other two seated occupants of the compartment gave firm nods.

"He's just been sitting there this whole time. I hope you aren't angry?" Asked Susan bashfully. Harry was still to get used to her own bashful nature compared to the strong-willed girl she had been when they were older.

"Of course he isn't." Abbott gave Neville and Hermione a smile. "Would you two like to join us here? There is plenty of room and I Spy is always more fun with more people."

"What is that?" Asked the Longbottom heir tentatively, though he did take a seat.

"A marvelous game for a time like this!" Exclaimed Hermione. "I'll be right back with our trunks!" And with that the girl was gone in a blur.

"Exciteable one, is she?" Harry asked with a grin.

"You have no idea." Neville replied before Hannah launched into her second retelling of the rules to the game.

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"HUFFLEPUFF!" Exclaimed the shabby hat sat atop Susans head. From where he stood Harry observed the girl remove the hat and place it back on the stool before rushing towards the table of Badgers with an excited blush on her cheeks.

Unlike the other first years Harry was not at all worried about the sorting. Instead his focus was discreetly placed towards the Professors Table. Everyone was where he remembered them to be; Hagrid looking jovial near at the end, Flitwick as attentive as always, Snape glaring daggers like before, and Quirrel pale and clammy beneath his turban. Even Dumbledore appeared grandfatherly stoic like usual. He was reminded that the man had in many ways betrayed him. However even now he couldn't see himself shunning his help, although this time he would be sure to have more input on decisions regarding the war.

Before he had even had time to contemplate where he would like to be sorted the Hat was placed atop his head.

" _Oh my, very interesting. Not the average First Year at Hogwarts, are you?"_ The somewhat familiar voice of the hat echoed through his mind.

" _Just don't put me in Slytherin."_ Harry replied, hoping that the hat wasn't under any obligation to tell the Headmaster what it now knew. " _We both know that would be disastrous."_

 _"Would it? Perhaps, but with your ambition to see your plans fulfilled..." Harry's mental frown was enough to stop the Hats musings. "Very well, what shall it be then? Plenty of loyalty to friends, but perhaps not capable enough of giving it to others anymore. Certainly you posses bravery in spare when needed, though I see you don't plan for that to be necessary for a while. No, you clearly already plan to build from what you already know. There is also the added benefits that the house of Eagles provides in the way of seclusion. Better be-"_

RAVENCLAW!"

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While Harry had never payed much mind to the shared living quarters of Gryffindor tower he was quite pleased to find that his new house offered private rooms. The common room had been, from what he vaguely remembered during the haste to find the Diadem, much the same. It came as a relief to find out that the living quarters were solitary. Spartan was the best word he could use to describe them; a bed, desk, dresser, and a small window were to be his new home. Compared to his cupboard it was a sprawling estate in his mind.

After having unpacked what few belongings he had the tired young man fell sprawled onto his new bed to contemplate his immediate moves.

Clearly there was the need to destroy the Horcruxes and deal with Quirrel. For a moment he considered testing what spells he could still perform but discarded the idea realizing there was nowhere either practical or private enough to do so for the moment. As far as the problems surrounding his Defence teacher he saw no routes which he could take to pacify him at this time. Harry was not sure if Voldemort was yet to possess the Professor.

Kicking off his shoes and squirming out of his robes he eventually crawled under the covers of his bed. Ultimately he decided it would be best to just carry on as a normal eleven year old student. Dumbledore was, if anything, far more perceptive and alert to oddities than he let on. The less his gaze drifted towards the boy-who-traveled-dimensions, the better. At least for a little while.

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Harry had nearly blown his cover when his new head of house had stopped by to deliver the class schedule. Being somewhat groggy and disoriented by the sudden change in living environment he had almost greeted the short man in an overly personal manner. However he had managed to make his stutter seem simply like the nervous nature of a first year. The short man had simply chuckled as he continued his way down the table.

His first class of the year was thankfully Herbology with the Gryffindors. Friendly as he was getting along with his housemates it was an easy decision to slide into place next to Neville in the greenhouse. Besides getting to know his friend better there was also the benefit of working with the best herbology student in the school.

"Hey there, Nev. Excited for our first class?" Harry asked cheerfully. As expected his shy yearmate took a moment to respond to the greeting after stuttering a few times.

"Oh, H-Harry, you startled me. I suppose I'm a little bit frightened to be honest." Judging by the sweat running down his neck Harry surmised that he was more than a little apprehensive of their first class. Still, Neville was a Gryffindor and wouldn't easily admit that.

"I'm not terribly concerned about this class. I e heard Professor Sprout is one of the nicest teachers in the school." Of course this wasn only half-true as he had yet to actually discuss the teachers with anyone. Neville however seemed to cheer up slightly.

"That's good, I was looking forward to Herbology. I've always really enjoyed the greenhouses at the Manor." He replied. "I've always thought that since I'm no good at magic then I could at least take up something anyone can do." There was a familiar blush to the slightly chubby lads face which Harry had seen numerous times. With a mental sigh he realized that finding a reason for Neville to get his own wand should be added to his list of priorities. At the very least he could start on building up his friends confidence for now.

"No good at magic? We haven't even been taught a single spell yet." His encreduality needed little lather.

"I already told you how long it took-" Harry immediately cut off his friend.

"Let's not worry about that nonsense for now. We'll know soon enough what we are all good at." At that moment their Professor entered through a murky glass door on the other side of the greenhouse.

With some prompting Harry was able to convince Neville to answer rudimentary questions that he was certain his friend would already know. By the end of the introductory lecture the shy Gryffindor had earned nearly a dozen points for his house and much praise from the Professor.

There was a small grin on his face as he trailed behind his classmates back inside the castle. Neville was amidst a group of both Ravenclaws and Gryffindors that were undoubtedly inquiring about his knowledge about the subject. In particular he could see the fervent bobbing of a bushy-haired girl that was clinging to his side.

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The time until Halloween night passed by in a relative blur for Harry. He did his best to socialize and be friendly with his classmates but often felt somewhat out of touch with them. Eventually he resigned himself to becoming somewhat of a hermit for the time being. Though he did meet up for study groups and the rudimentary social gatherings of first years it had become fairly normal for him to stay on the sidelines during discussion. At first there had been people who insisted on trying to open dialogue with him, which had been slightly irksome, but after a few weeks of bland responses to unwanted questions they began to leave him alone. This left him with adequate free time to continue forward with his plans.

Quirrel proved to be much the same as his former self in class. However the repelling and silencing wards around his private suite were more than enough evidence for Harry to conclude that the man was either a good performer or receiving help from the Dark Lord. Without his invisibility cloak and well aware of Dumbledore's watchful gaze upon the school he had decided to leave this problem on the back-burner. Besides the incident with the troll no students had been put in danger unless it involved his, in retrospect, silly crusade to stop Snape from stealing the stone.

Thus he was left with little more to do than attend classes, keep an ear to the ground with an eye towards the sky, and of course take full advantage of the Come-and-Go Room. While staying at the Bones estate he had begun taking growth supplements purchased on the sly when visiting Diagon Alley. They were of a fairly weak variety meant for magicals afflicted by long-term ailments or recovering from curses as opposed to the more strictly regulated stronger variants. Knowing that receiving regular orders of them would not go unnoticed he had begun brewing his own after some trial and error. Alongside some physical excersize in the room he already had begun to counteract the malnutrition and mistreatment from his time as the "Freak". While he had eventually grown to be of fairly average stature, it was obvious when comparing himself to his peers that he should speed up the process. Considering his lack of plans to play Quidditch, for now, he would need to train on his own anyway.

As far as training his magic Harry had faced few setbacks. Besides an obvious lack of power compared to where he had been before most of his dueling spells came naturally. Soon though he grew bored with even the moving targets he room could animate. They did not at all provide the challenge of squaring off against a real witch of wizard. Begrudgingly he ended up deciding to spend less time on this in favor of other things. It was unlikely he would improve very much and he had no intentions of getting into any duels for as long as possible. Studying battle theory, defensive magic, and light research into the history of dark wizards seemed more productive. Between the library and the vast amount of tomes stored in the room he had plenty to keep him busy.

This left him with only one large problem on his plate. Luckily he had little trouble working through the details. Really the biggest challenge had just been convincingly play the part of a confused eleven year old. Overall he spent nearly as much time in front of a mirror as he did actually taking action.

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"So, Mr Potter, where exactly did you find this map?" Amelia asked from where she stood next to the headmasters desk, not looking up from the piece of parchment. Dumbledore simply say from his chair with a pleasant grin.

"It was spell-o-taped underneath a desk in an old classroom. A seventh year helped me figure out the password with some sort of revealing charm." Judging by the look he received from the Headmaster the half-truth did not go unnoticed. The Marauders map had indeed been taped under a desk in the corner of Filch's office. Harry had even discussed revealing charms with an older classmate. Amelia looked at him for a moment before shifting her gaze back to the Map.

"How did you become aware of who Peter Pettigrew is?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I asked some of the Professor about my parents. At first I didn't associate the name with him but I found it strange that there was a Gryffindor in my year that I never saw." Dumbledore leaned back and nodded safely at this even as Harry continued. "Once I learned his relation to my parents, and this Sirius Black fellow, I came directly to you." Amelia finally looked up from the parchment at this.

"It is good that you did. I'm not at all sure what the meaning of all this is going to turn up but that you noticed at all is remarkable." Amelia put away her monacle and withdrew her wand from within her robes. She walked over and gave him a brief hug before patting down some of his hair which was surely sticking out. "According to the map he is in Gryffindors tower. Me, my men, and The Headmaster will be apprehending him soon. For now I think it would be best to go back to your dorms. Unless you have any objections, Albus?" The man himself stood from his chair and moved around his desk to join them.

"You are free to go, Mr Potter." Replied to the Headmaster with a kind smile. He held out a hand with a slip of paper in it towards him, which Harry took. "A pass, should you be caught wandering. The hour is late and I have asked for the staff to be extra vigilant.

With a gesture at the two Aurors in the room, older men who Harry had never seen before, she turned to address the Headmaster. "I take it you would like to accompany us, Headmaster?"

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Once again Harry found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with a crying child. Worse though was that it wasn't himself this time. It took quite a bit of effort to keep up the facade of being eleven. Partially because he wished to comfort what he saw as a child but mostly due to his only recent foray into the field of character acting.

"I'm sorry Neville!" Harry exclaimed to the round faced boy after his tearful outburst. "It's cool that you have your fathers wand and all. I just thought, you know, that the wand chooses the wizard.." He trailed off when the other boy shook his head and wiped away some of his tears.

"Gran wants so much for me to turn out like my parents. Up until the Hogwarts letter came I was sure I'd never amount to anything." A hand reached around the boys shoulders to comfort him.

"Nonsense, Neville, you're a natural in greenhouse. Most of can barely figure out which end of a trowel to hold." Came the comforting voice of Susan. Hannah bounced a moment in her seat at their table in the library.

"I heard that Sprout caught Goyle eating the dirt last week." This elicited laughs all around the table, even from the normally most reserved of their informal group.

"Potter is correct about the wand, Longbottom." Stated the blonde Slytherin from next to Harry, who turned to narrow his eyes at her blunt response. She sighed at his look before continuing. "If you wish to be like both your parents then you would need a wand that matches attributes from both of them. That your wand works at all says something. It would be best for you to get fitted for a proper wand." Neville looked mollified for a moment but his expression softened and turned thoughtful as she finished.

"How about we go to Professor McGonagal with this? I know your scared of what your grandmother might think but if she hears it from your Head of House I can't imagine she wouldn't listen." Harry gave his young friend an encouraging smile, which was returned along with a sniff and affirmative nod.

"Good, now if you will excuse us," Greengrass stood from her seat, "Me and Potter have urgent business to discuss." Surprisingly, the somewhat icey Slytherin made her way around the table to give Neville a brief hug before walking purposefully towards the exit of the Library. Everyone at the table sat in shock for a moment before they were startled by a question thrown over her shoulder. "Coming?"

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It took more than a little running in order to catch up to Daphne by the time he had stowed away his various books and parchment. While she had the head start he of course had several years of experience traversing the castle and was able to reach their destination just in time to see her slip into an unissued classroom. After a brief glance at his new version of the Marauders Map he determined that the coast was clear, as they say. He entered the room still panting slightly and wondering if Sirius' freedom was worth giving up the original copy of the map. His own attempts at duplicating the artifact bore little fruit and left him with only sparse information about his immediate surrounding. Had he been more paranoid he would have palmed his wand when entering the room. However his father and friends had charmed the map to display a persons name was a mystery.

"We don't need to hide these meetings." He said with a huff as he sat down at one of the empty tables in the room. Daphne, for her part, was still casting small charms, and even a few curses, around the room to prevent people from eavesdropping. "Finished?" He questioned with a smirk as she finally say down. Her eyes narrowed as she responded.

"We do need to hide these meetings, Potter. This is not the sort of information that I can share easily. My father was only convinced by mother that I be allowed to do so." Harry's mirth at entering a serious discussion such as this with an eleven year old was dampened by parallel thoughts of his former blonde haired Slytherin rival. For a moment he wondered if the whole house was as dependent on their parents or if it was common amongst non-orphaned children. Her smirk lowered when he pulled out his wand and changed to a look of surprise as he cast the Muffliato spell. Her mouth opened to ask a silent question before he explained.

"A much easier way to keep a private conversation." Harry said simply while putting away his wand. "Not enough to stop an overly determined eavesdropper but, then again, not many people would be interested in what two eleven year olds have to say." Daphne looked puzzled at this, which in turn confused Harry until he realized it must have been because of how he spoke instead of what he actually said. Mentally he kicked himself for bragging. Verbally, he continued. "I'll show you some other time. Maybe before we meet to do this again. For now I assume you want to discuss what I asked you about yesterday?" He received a cool glare before a response.

"Politics here in the wizarding world are not as complex as you seem to think. Whatever barbaric ways the muggles go about governing themselves are likely similar, if less civilized." Harry could only roll his eyes at this. Despite their ignorance of the non-magical world, one trip to a cinema was normally enough to change the minds of most witches and wizards about their opinions of muggle technology. "Those with the most influence-."

"Money?" He interjected to clarify. The growl she replied with was enough to convince him that further interruptions would not be appreciated.

"Those with the most influence, and money, tend to be in charge. Lucius Malfoy, as much as he is pompous, has large amounts of both. Therefore he leads a large portion of the Wizengamot. Do you at least know what that is?" She paused for a response.

"Assume I know the basic structure of our government for now. I'm trying to learn to swim, not that water is wet."

"Very well then." She collected herself in a way that reminded him of Hermione before explaining a potion recipe to him and Ronald. "There is a lot to learn still but at least you aren't completely ignorant. I only bring up such a basic thing because clearly you have social influence. I simply know nothing about your financial standing. Publicly, you could probably get away with just about anything. However, if you want to play the political game you will need capital. Gold is always nice but being a desirable business partner can make up for a lack of that."

Harry contemplates this for a few moments. More so wondering why a child was so passively knowledgeable about a subject he had spent most of his preparation time trying to comprehend. He quickly chalked things up to the foreknowledge most of his classmates would have from having grown up in the wizarding world.

"And if I have plenty of gold to back up my fame?"

"Then I think that I may need to send a letter to my mother." It was a simple reply. Her toothless smile left no imagination as to her status as a member of the house of snakes.

Vipers tend to only bare their teeth when directly threatened, after all.

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Not for the first time Harry grew somewhat nervous that he may be playing his hand a bit early. Voldemort in his current state was a minimal threat. Inhabiting the body of Quirrel was possible only due to having a mostly compliant host. From his research it was likely excruciating on both their souls and done as an act of desperation more than anything. There were also the negative effects of having drank the blood of unicorns. Try as he might it had simply been impossible to pin down the man in time to stop that atrocity. In the end he really only knew of one place he could count on the Dark Lord ending up. Had he been a bit more magically powerful he could have devised something a little more clever, or maybe even a way to trap Voldemort in his current form as a shade. Alas, such magic was well beyond his scope of knowledge and any mistake could be fatal.

Thus found Professor Quirrel walking up to the back of the young black haired Ravenclaw where he sat in front of the mirror of Erised. A brief glance up to it confirmed its magic. Wand out, he finally prodded the boy with a foot when it seemed clear that the young man had not noticed his presence. Oddly enough all that he got as a response was a mumbled grunt. Slowly he walked around to the boys front and saw that the boy was staring deeply at whatever he saw in the mirror.

"What is is, Quirrel? Have you found the stone?" Came a rasping voice from underneath the mans purple turban.

"Potter, my lord. He is here. I'm not sure what happened but I think he has been trapped by the mirror." Quirrel did his best to keep his stutter down. Ever since the dark lord had joined to the back of his head he had terrible trouble forming full sentences.

"What? How could he be here? Unwrap me at once so that I may see." Quirrel did as commanded without protest. How his master could stand being wrapped in cloth was a mystery. If only he had not had to loose his hair and, ultimately, his life. There were worse fates though he supposed.

Harry, for his part, thought he was doing an excellent job so far. Though he didn't dare look up he knew that the two had let down their guard. Now he just needed to find the right time to strike. Had he been able to get the stone he wouldn't have to go with this plan but the mirror refused to give it to him. Damned Dumbledore and his silly machinations. In a few years he was looking forward to finding an excuse to "accidentally" trash his office. There was also the impending trip back to the Dursley's that-

"Im impressed that he made it here on his own. A shame that he fell victim to the mirror in the end. Tell me, what do you see in it Quirrel?"

"Myself, holding the stone. What does it mean my lord?"

"Likely a trick of some sort. Turn around so that I may look."

Harry decided this was as good a time as any to strike. Jumping up as the man turned he startled the already jumpy man. His hesitation allowed Harry the opportunity to place his hands around the mans throat. Similarly to how he remembered, the man began screaming and clawing his hands at Harry's. A futile effort as his scream quickly faded and what skin of his had touched Harry's began to turn to ash. Voldemort let out an echoing scream of rage before removing himself from the body of the Defence Professor before the protection of Lily Potters sacrifice could reach him. In moments the smoking shade was gone, flowing out some crack in the wall. Harry scooted back from where he had fallen to the floor and watched a Quirrels now headless and handless form stumbled and fell to the ground. Harry shivered somewhat at the sight before standing up and dusting himself off.

Now came the tricky job of explaining away all this to Dumbledore.

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End file.
